Countdown
by AbsentSilhouette
Summary: To become a Nobody, you must require a strong will. To retain human form as a Nobody, even more so. A story about Organization XIII's Somebodies. Rated T to be safe, contains slight violence and a bit of Darkness towards the end. Multi-chapter, the later chapters will be better, I assure you!
1. Twelve

_Wassup, people?_

_So, this was an idea I came up with awhile ago…..It has been very long in the making, I keep getting stuck trying to figure out the structure and wording and blahblahblah….Anywho._

_Each chapter will focus on a different character, starting with Relena (Larxene) and counting down until we reach Xehanort (Terra). I had originally planned this to be a group of drabbles, one per character, and the initial idea also included Merlin, Cid (what.) and possibly Squall (Leon). But I decided to just go with the Organization Somebodies._

_Y'see, to become a Nobody you need to have had a strong will. And to become a human-resembling Nobody your will had to have particularly strong. So it makes you wonder: What kinda of things did the Organization's orginals feel strongly about? Especially for Demyx, Luxord, Marluxia and Larxene, since you don't get even a smidgeon of a peek into their lives from before. So those parts are made up by myself, as are their original names. (Although in the draft-thing, Larxene was Elarne {eh-LARN- ay} instead of Relena. Relena I got from a story that, actually, you can find here on Fanfiction: Dragonnova's "Dyme and the Dozen" and its prequel, "Pain in the Axel".)_

_Anyway, you probably wanna get to reading….There'll be more explanatory notes at the bottom._

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_Twelve._

Relena hesitated. For once in a very long time, she was afraid. It had been over a year since they fought- What if Nicole was still mad at her? Holding a grudge, even? All of this, over a boy.

Nicki had been the one who taught Relena to stand up for herself, to come out her shell and be herself- and to stop being so scared of everything. She was the first person to accept Relena for who she was. It meant so much to her…And then it all dissolved in a matter of minutes.

It started off simple enough. The girls were admiring a mutual crush, an eighteen-year-old blonde boy with an amazingly charming accent. He'd been standing in line at the ice cream stand when Relena happened to notice him sneaking glances at the two girls every so often, which she then pointed out to Nicole. Nicki mused that maybe, just maybe, it was because he _liked_ one of them….And things just expanded from there, to the point where the girls approached the boy and asked him straight out, whom he liked better. His response was neither, he hardly knew them, after all. After he walked away, Nicole shot Relena a dirty look and stormed off.

Since then it had been a whirlwind of cold shoulders, sarcasm and stinging remarks on both ends. Relena was tired of it all-she just wanted her best friend back. Even if Nicki didn't want the same, Relena still had to try.

So here she was, standing in front of the door. The deciding moment was upon her. Was she actually going to do this? Everything inside her told her to turn around, run away. But no, Relena had made up her mind- she was not going to be a coward anymore.

Taking a deep breath, Relena reached out and knocked on the door.

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…_.I don't really think about Larxene that much. Don't connect with her, I guess. So this was the best I could come up with._

_The relationship with Nicole is kinda an Ino/Sakura thing (not in a pairing/couples sense). The scenario was based on an episode of "Adventures in Odyssey"._

_I thought the thing about Relena being afraid of everything kinda fit, cuz Larxene is rather fearless (not just cuz she's a Nobody)_

…_..Regardless, I feel like this one is kinda meh-quality. THE LATER CHAPTERS ARE BETTER, I ASSURE YOU! Especially chapters 8-1 (that's the title, not the actual numbers). At the time I'm writing this, I'm stuck in Five (that would be Aeleaus). I just can't figure out the wording, dang it. I'm looking forward to writing One (Xehanort) cuz I've got the MOST PERFECT IDEA EVAR for it. Just…..ejbtjdgfosdghtozsdghogug I wanna write it really badly. But I'm holding off on it so I can keep these things in order._

_Oh, and in case it isn't already clear, these chapters all take place on the same day, the Day of Doom, you could call it. The day (or a day close to it) that the Heartless get free and Radiant Garden is destroyed (that's the location of all the chapters as well.)_

_Alllllllllrighty then! Hang on people, this ride is gonna be bumpyyyyyy (the real fun starts with Six….Or Seven…I dunno)_

_~AbsentSilhouette_

_P.S.- Hypothetical cookies to whoever guesses who the "blonde boy with an amazingly charming accent" is XD_


	2. Eleven

_This time around, it's Marluxia! I like the name "Lumaria" for his Somebody. Has a nice ring to it._

_Anyone noticed that we're counting them down in the order on Organization rank?_

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_Eleven._

Lumaria's foot tapped nervously on the wooden floor as he glanced at his watch again. Only three more minutes. Three more minutes until his very own flower shop, "Sakura's", would be open for business.

That had been his dream ever since he was young. He'd always been labeled as "girly" by the neighborhood kids, and having naturally pink hair didn't help. He didn't really try to fight it- he liked flowers and gardening, and that was that. If people didn't like him because of it, their loss. Lumaria preferred the company of rhododendron bushes and clematis vines over people anyway, with the exception of a select few.

Once upon a time, Lumaria's mother had been among those select few. That kind, gentle woman, who had shown her son the wonders of caring for something and watching it grow. Lumaria would often visit her when she wasn't feeling well and bring her some of the fruits of his labor. He loved the smile it would put on her face when he gave her a lily or a rose that he had tended with his own hands. And he despised the day that her smile vanished forever. But no, he'd decided he wasn't going to dwell on it- he was going to honor his mother's memory by living out his dream.

Ten 'o clock. With his shoulders back and head held high, Lumaria threw open the door.

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…_..The part about Lumaria's mother kinda came out of left field. In other words, it wasn't part of the initial plan. I wrote from "Once upon a time" to "the day her smile vanished forever" when I was all hopped up on feels from listening to the lyrics someone on YouTube wrote to go along with Ventus's theme. My fingers were flying, let me tell you._

_Next up is Luxord! Or, Rould if you prefer._


	3. Ten

_Ten._

Rould gazed up in awe of the enormous stone stairway that lead up to the Castle's courtyard as he went over his plan once again.

'_Okay, Rould, keep calm,' _he thought to himself. _'When they some to the door, introduce yourself properly and state your business. 'Excuse me sir, my name is Rould. I was told by an acquaintance that there was'….Ah, no, that won't work. 'Excuse me sir, my name is Rould. Recently I've been looking for a job, and was told by an acquaintance that there might be one here I could take on?' Yes, yes that sounds good. And if they say there's no job or flat out don't hire you, conduct yourself like a gentleman and take it gracefully. Thank them for their time, and take your leave quietly.'_

It had been almost a year since Braig mentioned about the Castle needing more staff, but Rould figured he may as well try. Once he got a job, he wouldn't have to rely on anyone, anymore- he'd finally be standing on his own two feet.

With this thought in mind, Rould began ascending the stone steps.

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_Hrm. I don't really like how this one turned out. It's been sitting here in the word processor for a while now and I just wanted to get it done. I know I should have included something about "life is a game" or what have you, but I'm just not good at coming up with analogies and my poetic writing skill is squat._

…_.Hey, Mars, if you read this…Don't kill me, ne? I know Luxord is a favorite for you (or was, once upon a time)._

_The later chapters will be more interesting, 'ttebayo! Cuz I'll actually have something to write about, sheesh….They should start getting at least somewhat better somewhere around Eight or Seven (in other words, chapters five or six)_

_Thanks for reading._

_~AbsentSilhouette_


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